The New Orleans Saints’ famed Dome Patrol may have been the best collection of linebackers in NFL history during their remarkable run from 1986-1992. But even they can’t help but be impressed by what they’re witnessing from the young San Francisco 49ers linebacking corps.

“This is the best thing I’ve seen, man, since us. And really, I put them right up with us,” Saints Hall of Famer Rickey Jackson said. “I don’t see nobody else being close.”

The comparisons between the two units are uncanny – from their unique skill sets, to their statistics, right down to the same coach, Vic Fangio.

The 49ers are certainly the most decorated group since the Dome Patrol, which remains the only unit ever to send all four linebackers to the Pro Bowl, in 1992.

The 49ers fell one short this year. Instead, they had to settle for three first-team All-Pros (inside linebackers Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman and outside linebacker Aldon Smith) and one second-team All-Pro (outside linebacker Ahmad Brooks).

Smith was the breakout star of the bunch with 19.5 sacks in his second NFL season. Bowman and Willis were credited with 183 and 171 tackles, respectively, by the 49ers’ in-house stats. And Brooks, who “only” had 6.5 sacks and 13.5 tackles-for-loss, certainly made his mark the last time he played in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. He returned a Drew Brees interception for a touchdown among other big-time plays during the Week 12 victory over the Saints.

“They’re even kind of built like us,” Jackson said, further breaking down the comparison. “No. 55 (Brooks) is built like I was. No. 99 (Smith) is built like Pat (Swilling) was. The other two are kind of built like Sam (Mills) and Vaughan (Johnson).

“And they kind of push each other, you can tell, just like we did.”

That feeling of déjà vu is shared by all of the former Saints from that era.

Swilling, Johnson and former Saints quarterback Bobby Hebert all offered similar views this week on what they’re witnessing from the young 49ers unit, which has been the driving force of their run toward Super Bowl 2013.

“Oh man, they’re awesome,” Swilling said.

“When you look at a linebacking corps, it doesn’t get any better,” Hebert said. “You might see teams that have one good Pro Bowl-type linebacker or two. But these guys and the Dome Patrol, you don’t see anything like that.

Swilling and Johnson stressed that the one aspect of the 49ers that stands out most to them is how well they play off of each other and how unselfish they all seem to be.

Swilling said he was impressed to hear Willis and Bowman talking about that concept during a recent interview he saw. He and Johnson both said that was what made those old Saints units so successful for so long.

“There wasn’t really any ‘I,I,I,’” Johnson said. “Now, it was competitive. We were competitive against one another. And the intensity was always there. I wanted to make the tackle just as bad as Sam and the other guys. But we were competing against each other and pulling for each other as well.

“And that made us better.”

Fangio, of course, appreciates the similarities better than anybody.

Now the 49ers’ defensive coordinator, Fangio began his NFL coaching career as the Saints linebackers coach in 1986, when he inherited that incredible young talent base – Jackson, who had been toiling away for years in New Orleans; USFL transplants Mills and Johnson; and third-round draft pick Swilling.

“Well, they’re very comparable,” Fangio said. “The Dome Patrol was a great group. And I think the one thing that was great about them, those guys started together for seven seasons. And these guys have really only started together one season because Aldon wasn’t really a starter last year.

“I keep telling them that they’ve got to get to where they’re together six or seven years to where I can compare those guys. … But I think at some point I’ll be able to give a favorable comparison.”

Fangio said he has actually taken some lessons he learned in New Orleans to help him mold this latest incarnation.

Fangio said he brought Swilling along slowly in his first year, using him as a situational pass rusher since he had been a defensive end in college. He did the same thing with Smith, who actually played end and tackle in college.

And whether he wants them or not, Fangio still gets regular critiques from Jackson, who keeps in touch with him.

Jackson has met the 49ers linebackers during their trips to the Superdome over the past two years (once in the preseason). And he often talks about the potential he sees in Brooks, who reminds him of himself.

“The one I kind of stay on the most is 55,” Jackson said. “I think he’s got more talent, more ability in him. He’s gotta keep working. I think he’s got a Hall of Fame future one day. All of ‘em are great.”

As for the 49ers’ feelings about the Saints’ linebackers – well, frankly, they had never really heard of them before Fangio brought them up.

A warning to all New Orleans Saints fans over the age of 30: These next few paragraphs will make you feel old.

The NFL’s newest generation of superstar linebackers has barely even heard of the Dome Patrol.

Brooks actually stumbled and referred to Jackson as Rickey Johnson on Tuesday, while admitting that he didn’t know much about his career.

Instead, most of the 49ers guys actually said they grew up watching linebacker Ray Lewis – the future Hall of Famer who is still roaming the field for the Baltimore Ravens, this week’s opponent in Super Bowl XLVII. (Lewis, by the way, is an avid student of the game who beamed as he rattled off his knowledge of what a tough little linebacker Mills was and how he knew the Dome Patrol had been the only unit to send four linebackers to the Pro Bowl).

But just because the 49ers’ youngsters weren’t as well educated on the subject doesn’t mean all of Fangio’s messages about the Dome Patrol have been completely lost on his new young stars.

Willis, who admitted to not knowing much about the old Saints said, “I heard they were a bad group of guys.”

And Bowman said Fangio has made the 49ers well aware that they haven’t arrived at the same level.

Yet.

“Like Vic said, those guys were doing it way longer than we are,” Bowman said. “We’re young and able to run and doing a lot of the things they were doing. But we’ve still got a long way to go.